Stromile Swift is close to rejoining the team after tending to family issues.
ROTATION: Starters -- Point guard Devin Harris, Shooting guard Vince Carter, Small forward Bobby Simmons, Power forward Ryan Anderson, Center Brook Lopez. Bench -- Guard Keyon Dooling, Forward Eduardo Najera, Center Josh Boone, Forward Jarvis Hayes. PLAYER NOTES:
--G Vince Carter, who was benched in the second half against the Celtics on Saturday, is in his worst shooting slump of the season: 7-for-32 over his last three games (1-for-10, 4-for-14, 2-for-8). Carter refuses to point to an ankle injury suffered in the first quarter of the 1-for-10 game. Carter had an 0-for-13 game earlier this season, but he followed that with an 11-for-22 shooting night.
--G Devin Harris didn't explode, but he seemed angered by his benching, along with Vince Carter, for the entire second half of Saturday's 20-point home loss to Boston. "That's not our choice. We don't decide who plays or not. That's coach's decision," said Harris, who had seven points and three turnovers in 17 first-half minutes.
--C Brook Lopez was one of the few encouraging spots in the Nets' brutal 105-85 defeat to the Celtics on Saturday in New Jersey. Lopez finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds. It was Lopez's sixth 20-point game of the season. That leaves him one shy of the team mark most 20-point games by a rookie center. Mike Gminski had seven in 1980-81.
MEDICAL WATCH:
--F Yi Jianlian is out for up to five more weeks with a broken right pinkie.
